Written Answers Monday 9 February 2009

Scottish Executive

2014 Commonwealth Games

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the 2014 Commonwealth Games contribute to its ambition for Scotland to be a Fair Trade nation.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government is committed to promoting fair trade and Scotland’s Fair Trade Nation campaign not only within Scotland but also abroad. Glasgow City Council has achieved Fair Trade City status and the Scottish Government, along with our partners, including Glasgow City Council, is alert to the opportunities to encourage Fair Trade around the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what secondary legislation it (a) has implemented and (b) plans to implement under the provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Richard Lochhead: The Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions)(Scotland) Regulations 2007 were brought into force in April 2007 and the Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions)(Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2009 were approved by the Scottish Parliament on 4 February 2009.

  We plan to introduce secondary legislation to require those who deal in puppies and kittens to do so only under a local authority licence. We are also considering introducing a licensing scheme for animal sanctuaries and livery yards and to replace the Pet Animals Act 1951 with new regulations which will update and strengthen the licensing requirement for pet shops.

  Official guidance on the control of ragwort was issued in June 2008 and statutory welfare codes issued under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 on the care of horses, dogs and cats are being prepared.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many compulsory purchase orders of domestic residencies there were in each year since 1999.

Stewart Maxwell: With regard to compulsory purchase and compensation, Scottish ministers may act as a confirming authority, or as promoter. The main users of compulsory purchase powers are Transport Scotland, and local authorities. Other bodies with compulsory purchase powers include utility companies (water, gas and electricity), Scottish Enterprise, Historic Scotland and railway undertakings. This would require an assessment of each order submitted over the past 10 years in Transport, Education, Planning, Housing and Historic Scotland. A breakdown of each individual order is not centrally held and would only be possible to obtain by incurring disproportionate cost.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average compensation was for domestic properties obtained via compulsory purchase order in each year since 1999.

Stewart Maxwell: With regard to compulsory purchase and compensation, Scottish ministers may act as a confirming authority, or as promoter. The main users of compulsory purchase powers are Transport Scotland, and local authorities. Other bodies with compulsory purchase powers include utility companies (water, gas and electricity), Scottish Enterprise, Historic Scotland and railway undertakings. Where Scottish ministers act as the confirming authority, they are not provided with information relating to the costs of the compensation paid to parties affected by the compulsory purchase. This information is accordingly not available centrally.

Extradition Act 2003

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times requests for the extradition of American citizens to Scotland have been refused and for what crimes extradition was sought in each case.

Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20216 on 6 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Extradition Act 2003

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19849 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 January 2009, whether in consideration of Part 2 requests for extradition, as set out in the Extradition Act 2003, the same test of dual criminality must be met as for Part 1 requests.

Kenny MacAskill: The test in relation to dual criminality is, in essence, encompassed in the definitions of "extradition offence" as provided for in sections 64 and 65 (in relation to category 1 territories) and sections 137 and 138 (in relation to category 2 territories) of the Extradition Act 2003. The same definitions apply with one exception. In relation to category 1 requests, an "extradition request" also includes an alleged offence (or conviction) which is certified by the requesting state as falling within the European framework list and attracts the necessary minimum periods of detention. In respect of those European framework list offences (which are applicable in category one cases only) there is no requirement for dual criminality.

Fish

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19783 by Michael Russell on 28 January 2008, whether the Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture provides information on the length of time that fin fish cages can be used on a single site without being moved in fresh water.

Richard Lochhead: The Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture recommends that all pen sites should have a written fallowing plan and that site facilities, pens etc should be cleaned before restocking.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive from where the proposal to lease parts of the national forest estate originated.

Michael Russell: There are examples of leasing public forest land in a number of other countries, including New Zealand, Canada and Australia. Also, a National Audit Office report in 1998 on the disposal of Forestry Commission land said that leasing could help protect public access and help rationalise the forest estate.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who proposed that it enter into discussions with representatives of Rothschild regarding the national forest estate.

Michael Russell: Rothschild approached the Scottish Government with ideas about the national forest estate.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who agreed to its discussions with representatives of Rothschild regarding the national forest estate.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is always open to consider constructive new ideas.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings or discussions it has had with representatives of Rothschild to discuss the national forest estate and who was present.

Michael Russell: Scottish ministers attended two meetings with Rothschild. Officials also attended a number of meetings. In total, six meetings were held, on 17 October 2007, 11 December 2007, 28 January 2008, 13 March 2008, 22 April 2008, and 24 July 2008.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the minutes or records of its meetings or discussions with representatives of Rothschild about the national forest estate.

Michael Russell: We will, of course, make information available that is releasable under the freedom of information legislation.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any reports and advice received from representatives of Rothschild on the national forest estate.

Michael Russell: The only reports received remain the property of Rothschild and were prepared by them on the basis that they remain commercial in confidence.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the documentation that it holds regarding the possibility of leasing the national forest estate in relation to the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill and discussions it has had with representatives of Rothschild.

Michael Russell: We will, of course, make information available that is releasable under the freedom of information legislation.

Forestry

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of its meetings with representatives of Rothschild and of the reports and advice received regarding the national forest estate.

Michael Russell: No payment was made to Rothschild for providing advice about the national forest estate.

Further Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to improve funding mechanisms for colleges.

Fiona Hyslop: The mechanism used to distribute funds to Scotland’s colleges is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked its chief executive to write to the member.

Health

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of meningitis B there have been in the last three months for which information is available and how many there were over the same period in 2008.

Shona Robison: From 1 October 2008 to 31 December 2008 (the last three full months for which data is available), Health Protection Scotland is provisionally aware of 14 cases of Meningitis B infection. This compares to 16 cases of meningitis B from 1 October 2007 to 31 December 2007.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18600 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 December 2008, what monitoring the Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force has undertaken in each NHS board for compliance with the Protocol for the Scottish Surveillance Programme for Clostridium difficile Associated Disease in respect of the submission of samples to the national reference laboratory.

Nicola Sturgeon: Monitoring is carried out by laboratories who submit quarterly reports to Health Protection Scotland (HPS). These reports are quality assured by HPS who check with each NHS board that all episodes have been reported. In addition, HPS report findings to the Scottish Government’s Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Task Force on a regular basis.

Healthcare Associated Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing still anticipates that the police and area procurator fiscal investigations into the deaths from Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital will conclude by March 2009.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have indicated that both Strathclyde Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are aiming to provide the Area Procurator Fiscal with reports by March 2009. These investigations involve interviewing a large number of witnesses and the examination of complex issues. Both organisations have committed considerable resources to the completion of this work. It will then be for the Area Procurator Fiscal to determine whether any further inquiries are required before he submits his report for consideration by Crown Counsel.

Housing

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of domestic houses subject to compulsory purchase order was bought at market value in each year since 1999.

Stewart Maxwell: With regard to compulsory purchase and compensation, Scottish ministers may act as a confirming authority, or as promoter. The main users of compulsory purchase powers are Transport Scotland, and local authorities. Other bodies with compulsory purchase powers include utility companies (water, gas and electricity), Scottish Enterprise, Historic Scotland and railway undertakings. Where Scottish ministers act as the confirming authority, they are not provided with information relating to the costs of the compensation paid to parties affected by the compulsory purchase. This information is accordingly not available centrally.

  The local authorities or the Valuations Office Agency may be able to provide assistance in this matter.

Housing

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses have been built using siporex, also broken down by local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: The information requested is not held centrally. I understand, however, that siporex was used in the construction of houses in Livingston and in Edinburgh.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have contributed to the £40 million of accelerated housing funding.

Stewart Maxwell: All 32 councils have contributed towards the £40million of accelerated housing funding. Details of the amounts contributed by each council were published in Finance Circular 5/2008, Annexes I and J, which can be found on the Scottish Government website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/circular5.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish a housing investment plan.

Stewart Maxwell: Details of the Affordable Housing Investment Programme were announced on 30 May 2008. This included a breakdown of planned funding levels by local authority area. The subsequent accelerated funding of £35 million for 2008-09 was announced in three tranches on 7 October, 27 November and 27 January 2008. An additional £5 million for the Mortgage to Rent scheme was announced on 8 December 2008.

Housing

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to their eligibility for social housing, what action it takes to ensure that veterans have a local connection in a location other than the district where they have most recently been living or working.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to ensure in legislation that, in relation to eligibility for social housing, someone serving in the armed forces will be able to establish a local connection through residence of choice or employment in the same way as a civilian.

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering allowing service personnel to establish a local connection to the location at which they are based in order to allow access to social housing and, if so, what progress has been made in this regard.

Stewart Maxwell: Armed forces personnel and veterans already have the same rights as civilians in relation to the eligibility to social housing in Scotland. Social landlords are required by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to admit anyone aged 16 or over to their housing list and in allocating their houses take no account of an applicant’s length of residence in the area or whether they are resident in the area in a number of listed circumstances. Local connection is not a statutory criteria in relation to eligibility to social housing and guidance on the 2001 act makes clear that applicants for housing should not be debarred because they have no local connection with an area, although local connection might be a factor in determining priority.

  However, Scottish homelessness legislation allows local connection to be taken into account in determining which local authority has a duty towards a homeless household. A local connection is formed through residence, employment, family associations or because of special circumstances. However, currently the legislation states that a local connection is not formed through residence or employment in the armed forces.

  The Scottish Government set out last year that it would consider amending these provisions so that employment/residence in the armed forces would be treated in the same way as civilian employment/residence for this purpose, removing any doubt as to whether service leavers can apply as homeless in the area in which they have served. A commitment was made to consult with representatives from the service community and local authorities, recognising the particular issues faced by those local authorities hosting significant numbers of service personnel in large bases. This process of consultation is underway.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many legal cases have been heard or are outstanding in relation to right of access over rights of way or other rights of responsible access under sections 13 and 14 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-20324 and S3W-20325, on 9 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many legal cases have comprised of an alleged obstruction of common law rights of way or other forms of responsible access by landowners or land managers in contravention of section 14 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003; where those cases have been heard, and what the outcomes were.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government collects information on the number of written notices that access authorities have served on land owners under section 14 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 requiring remedial action where obstructions must be removed. Between 9 February 2005 and 31 March 2008, 19 section 14 notices were issued to remove obstructions. In six of these cases appeals against the notice have been made to a sheriff court. In addition, one court case was initiated by a land owner under section 28 of the act. The outcome or current status of these cases can be found on the Scottish Courts website at the following address:

  http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/opinionsApp/sheriff.asp.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities or other access authorities have been required to take legal action under section 13 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 to assert, protect and keep open and free from obstruction or encroachment any route, waterway or other means by which access rights are reasonably exercised in their area and what the outcome has been in each instance in which legal action has been necessary.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not collect this information. It is held by the 34 Scottish access authorities.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it takes to ensure that landowners, land managers and access authorities comply with their duties under sections 13 and 14 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports local access forums, ramblers and others seeking to ensure that landowners who attempt to obstruct rights of way and other forms of access are properly held to account under the Land Reform Act (Scotland) 2003 and, if so, how such support is effected.

Michael Russell: Yes, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 places emphasis on the local management of access and makes it the duty of the local access authority to uphold access rights under the provisions contained within the act. Support for access authorities and local access forums is provided in the Scottish Government’s written guidance on the implementation of the access provisions of the act, and in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Local access forums can also seek advice and support from the National Access Forum.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to monitor the success or otherwise of part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 since it received Royal Assent.

Michael Russell: Monitoring of access authorities’ progress in implementing Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 commenced in February 2005 and continues on an annual basis. Data from the sixth return will be published in the summer of 2009 and will be available on the Scottish Government website at the following address:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Countryside/16328/AccessAuthorities.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many disputes over rights of responsible access have been (a) referred to and (b) resolved by local access forums across Scotland in each year since the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 received Royal Assent.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any pending prosecution being brought by the Cairngorm National Park Authority and the local access forum against Aviemore resort hotels using statutory powers conferred under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 to ensure that landowners comply with their access obligations under section 14.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the deconstruction of the fence that blocks rights of access from Laurel Bank Lane and across Aviemore resort hotels’ land in the village of Aviemore.

Michael Russell: This is a matter for the Cairngorms National Park Authority as access authority.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice or assistance it has given to Cairngorm National Park Authority or the local access forum or the local community to ensure that a long-standing right of way and other forms of access in Aviemore are not improperly obstructed by Aviemore resort hotels.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has not given advice or assistance to the Cairngorms National Park Authority or the local access forum on this matter.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in expediting the consideration of the Aviemore resort hotels (ARH) planning applications, including the ARH master plan, by the Cairngorm National Park Authority in December 2007, whether Scottish ministers were aware of the dispute over access rights at the resort.

Michael Russell: Ministers had no reason to engage with this issue. The Cairngorms National Park Authority, as local planning authority, was responsible for consideration of, and decision on, these planning applications, and, in its role as local access authority, for consideration of any disputes over access rights under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act.

Livestock

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19571 by Richard Lochhead on 19 January 2009, what organisations are being consulted on the R eport on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs published by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in June 2008.

Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government officials have held discussions with the Scottish National Farmers’ Union, the Scottish Agricultural College and Quality Meat Scotland. Officials have also been informed of the views of Advocates for Animals.

  A full consultation will be undertaken if the government proposes amendments to legislation or statutory welfare codes.

Marine Environment

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are for the establishment of a new marine management organisation in Scotland.

Richard Lochhead: Following consideration of the responses on the recent consultation exercise on Sustainable Seas for All a Consultation on Scotland’s first Marine Bill and related delivery arrangements, we plan to establish new integrated marine management arrangements for Scotland – under Marine Scotland as part of the core Scottish Government, as of 1 April.

  This will enable coherent management of the seas with integration of policy alongside delivery functions, as well as contributing to the Scottish Government’s aim to simplify the public bodies landscape. Our proposals signal our commitment to a step change in marine management arrangements for Scotland.

  Marine Scotland’s role will be, in partnership with others, to deliver our marine vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive, biologically diverse marine and coastal environments within the overall Government’s purpose of sustainable economic growth. This will include, for example, working closely with bodies such as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage. It will manage Scotland’s seas for prosperity and environmental sustainability both by leading and working with others and in carrying out its own functions of evidence-based policy development and marine planning, streamlined marine licensing and consenting, sound science and effective compliance monitoring and enforcement.

  We plan to establish a Marine Strategy Board, to be led by Marine Scotland and involving key partners with marine management interests, to deliver strategic management of Scotland’s seas.

  Marine Scotland will have direct responsibility for core marine functions, which include both the existing functions of the Marine Directorate, Fisheries Research Services (Marine and Freshwater Fisheries) and Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, and also planned new functions of marine planning, improved nature conservation measures and better integrated licensing, consents and monitoring arrangements. There is strong support for the establishment of such a body with the largest group to comment on status supporting its establishment within government. It will build on the success of the organisation involved and will enable a strategic approach to marine management.

  In light of the importance of the new body’s science function we will, as part of the new governance arrangements, also be establishing a Scientific Advisory Board to assure its scientific objectivity and credibility. We will also be developing appropriate appeals mechanisms with an independent element.

  We believe it is important to establish Marine Scotland quickly so that it can begin the process of integrating and streamlining currently separate functions and processes and so that it will be well placed to deliver new functions and responsibilities, following agreement on new marine legislation, effectively and efficiently. Decisions now about its role, status and establishment will also remove uncertainties for the staff involved, partner organisations and stakeholders and help us to gain the benefits of better integrated, more streamlined arrangements more quickly.

NHS Funding

Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what revenue and capital funds are being made available to NHS boards and Special Health Boards for 2009-10.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards and Special Health Boards have been given an initial general revenue allocation of £8,257.7 million for 2009-10, an average increase over the equivalent 2008-09 allocation of 3.3%.

  Details of NHS boards and Special Health Boards initial general revenue allocations for 2009-10 are as follows:

  

 NHS Board
2009-10 (£ Million)
 % Uplift


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 557.2
 3.15%


 NHS Borders
 162.2
 3.15%


 NHS Dumfries and Galloway
 232.9
 3.15%


 NHS Fife
 490.3
 3.81%


 NHS Forth Valley
 383.9
 3.50%


 NHS Grampian
 660.7
 3.46%


 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 1,825.0
 3.15%


 NHS Highland
 469.6
 3.15%


 NHS Lanarkshire
 777.4
 3.52%


 NHS Lothian
 987.1
 3.47%


 NHS Orkney
 30.5
 3.64%


 NHS Shetland
 35.9
 3.15%


 NHS Tayside
 578.6
 3.15%


 NHS Western Isles
 56.6
 3.15%


 Total
 7,247.9
 3.33%



  

 Special Health Board
2009-10 (£ Million)
 % Uplift


 Scottish Ambulance Service
 189.2
 3.15%


 National Services Scotland
 264.3
 3.15%


 NHS 24
 56.0
 3.15%


 The State Hospitals Board for Scotland
 34.8
 3.15%


 National Waiting Times Centre
 41.3
 3.15%


 NHS Education for Scotland
 389.1
 3.15%


 NHS Health Scotland
 18.3
 3.15%


 NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
 16.8
 3.15%


 Total
 1,009.8
 3.15%



  NHS boards have been given a formula capital allocation of £329 million for 2009-10 and £334 million for 2010-11.

  Details of NHS boards formula allocations for 2009-10 and indicative formula allocations for 2010-11, together with Special Board Minor Works allocations for the two year period are as follows are as follows:

  

 NHS Board
2009-10 (£ Million)
Indicative 2010-11 (£ Million)


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 21.8
 22.1


 NHS Borders
 6.1
 6.2


 NHS Dumfries and Galloway
 9.2
 9.3


 NHS Fife
 18.4
 18.7


 NHS Forth Valley 
 14.8
 15.0


 NHS Grampian
 29.8
 30.2


 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 98.9
 100.5


 NHS Highland
 18.9
 19.2


 NHS Lanarkshire
 30.0
 30.4


 NHS Lothian
 52.3
 53.1


 NHS Orkney
 0.9
 0.9


 NHS Shetland
 1.0
 1.0


 NHS Tayside
 25.0
 25.4


 NHS Western Isles
 1.9
 2.0


 Total
 329.0
 334.0



  

 Special Health Board
2009-10 (£ Million)
Indicative 2010-11 (£ Million)


 Scottish Ambulance Service
 13.2
 12.3


 National Services Scotland
 6.0
 6.3


 NHS 24
 1.6
 1.6


 The State Hospitals Board for Scotland
 26.6
 24.9


 National Waiting Times Centre
 6.6
 4.1


 NHS Education for Scotland
 0
 0


 NHS Health Scotland
 0
 0


 NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
 1.7
 0


 Total
 55.7
 49.2

NHS Procurement

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to introduce an ethical procurement policy for the NHS.

Nicola Sturgeon: In December 2008, the Scottish Government published The Scottish Procurement Policy Handbook which provides detail on both ethical standards of business and corporate social responsibility across the public sector in Scotland. NHS National Procurement, as the procurement centre of expertise for all NHSScotland organisations, is ensuring the adoption of these standards within the NHS procurement process in Scotland.

NHS Procurement

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers will liaise with the NHS in England and Wales in relation to the recently launched consultation on ethical and sustainable procurement in health care.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government will liaise with the NHS in England and Wales on the consultation.

NHS Procurement

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that banning private companies from cleaning hospitals will lower the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections, given that cleaning services were not contracted out at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20355 on 5 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

NHS Procurement

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what services are tendered out to private contractors by NHS hospitals and what plans there are to put additional services out to competitive tender.

Nicola Sturgeon: For information relating to outsourced cleaning and catering contracts, I refer the member to answers to questions S3W-17133 and S3W-17134 on 5 November 2008.

  Information on other contracted out services is not held centrally. NHS boards are responsible for the tendering of contracts for services and the information broken down by hospital can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

NHS Services

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that people in the Scottish Borders are able to receive essential health and other services regardless of cross-border differences in legislation or service provision.

Nicola Sturgeon: The duty of the Scottish Government is to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards in order that they can deliver high quality, safe and sustainable services that meet the needs of their local population. Within this context, the actual provision of local healthcare services is normally the responsibility of local health boards, taking into account national guidance, local service needs and priorities for investment.

  NHS Borders has advised me that it has close ties with NHS services across the border into Northumbria and Cumbria. It continues to foster strategic alliances with these partners given the two-way flow of patients, and the need to secure access to services for patients close to the border and ensure seamless care.

NHS Staff

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialists in pain management are currently employed in the NHS, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally available. Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland hold data on NHS workforce, many of whom deal with pain management as part of their role either as a matter of routine or on a specialised basis. Staff in many specialties including anaesthesia, medicine and even psychology will contribute to pain management, but the detail of which individuals do this work is not collected. ISD data on the overall NHS workforce can be found at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5247.html .

NHS Staff

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychologists work in pain clinics, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available broken down to specialty clinic. However, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland publish data on Clinical and other Applied Psychologists (whole-time equivalent) employed in psychology services in NHSScotland by area of work (see following link - table 2a). http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5381.html .

NHS Staff

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to recruit additional psychologists to work in pain clinics, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally available. The planning of the workforce at this level of detail is primarily a matter for individual NHS boards. It is for NHS boards to determine levels of service provision based on local needs.

National Parks

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received advice from planning officials regarding the outstanding refusal of Aviemore resort hotels to grant right of access over a long-standing right of way from Laurel Bank Lane in Aviemore village and across the resort.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has not received any advice from its planning officials on this subject.

National Parks

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any reports or been asked for or received advice from the Cairngorm National Park Authority planning officials regarding the outstanding refusal of Aviemore resort hotels to grant right of access over a long-standing right of way from Laurel Bank Lane in Aviemore village and across the resort.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has received a copy of a report from the Cairngorms National Park Authority to the members of the local outdoor access forum on the interim findings of the sheriff court in this case. The Scottish Government has not been asked for, nor has it offered, advice on the matter.

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the design capacity of HMP Aberdeen is for (a) male and (b) female prisoners.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The current design capacity of HM Prison Aberdeen is 155. Both male and female prisoners can be held at the establishment.

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the design capacity is of HMP Peterhead.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The design capacity of the current prison at Peterhead is 306.

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the design capacity is of the proposed new prison at Peterhead for (a) male and (b) female prisoners.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  HMP Grampian will provide around 500 prisoner places (roughly the current combined capacity of HMP Aberdeen and HMP Peterhead), supporting the demand for places within the Northern Community Justice Authority (CJA), excluding those accommodated in HMP Inverness. SPS proposes to work closely with the Northern CJA to create a community facing prison which supports this objective. The accommodation will be flexible by design but precise numbers of available spaces for male and female prisoners have still to be decided.

Redevelopment

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19443 by Jim Mather on 20 January 2009, how much the public sector has contributed to the Ravenscraig site in Lanarkshire in each year since the start of the redevelopment project, broken down by public sector agency.

Jim Mather: Between 1999 and 2008 Scottish Enterprise has invested approximately £20,370,000 in the Ravenscraig Development Project and through EU funding £7,370,000 has been provided broken down as follows:

  

 
 SE Funding
 EU funding


 1999
£118,000
£46,000


 2000
£5,598,000
£2,208,000


 2001
£2,727,000
£1,068,000


 2002
£120,000
 NIL


 2003
£600,000
£491,000


 2004
£1,738,000
£1,738,000


 2005
£1,261,000
£1,261,000


 2006
£336,000
£336,000


 2007
£6,902,000
£222,000


 2008
£970,000
£NIL


 Total
£20,307,000
£7,370,000



  The capital expenditure at Ravenscraig prior to 1999 was almost exclusively private sector. SE costs were related to the preparatory phase (masterplanning, statutory and technical consents, legals and the like).

  North Lanarkshire Council’s contribution is not included as we do not hold this information.

Renewable Energy

Shirley-Anne Somerville (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to lay before the Parliament the amendment order that will grant permitted development rights for microgeneration on domestic buildings.

Stewart Stevenson: I am pleased to announce that the relevant Amendment Order [the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Domestic Microgeneration) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2009] was laid before the Scottish Parliament on Friday 6 February 2009 [SSI 2009/34]. It will now be considered by the Subordinate Legislation Committee and the Local Government and Communities Committee.

  The Order will enable householders to install certain energy generating equipment, such as solar panels, on their houses or in their gardens without applying for planning permission. Removing the barriers of cost and time will encourage greater uptake of micro-generation equipment, which will increase renewable energy generation and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

  Removing the barriers will also support the development of the micro-generation industry therefore contributing to the government’s efforts to ensure that Scotland’s planning system increases sustainable economic growth.

Road Accidents

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average accident rate is, expressed in accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres, for (a) the A1 trunk road, (b) dualled sections of the A1 trunk road and (c) single carriageway sections of the A1 trunk road in East Lothian.

Stewart Stevenson: The accident rates for A1 trunk road in East Lothian are:

  (a) 8.4 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres for all dual and single carriageway sections.

  (b) 6.9 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres for dual carriageway sections.

  (c) 30.8 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres for single carriageway sections.

  The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published previously or elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between the two dates, e.g. due to late returns, corrections to earlier returns or changes to traffic volume data.

Road Accidents

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average accident rate is, expressed in accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres, for (a) the A1 trunk road, (b) dualled sections of the A1 trunk road and (c) single carriageway sections of the A1 trunk road between Dunbar and the border with England.

Stewart Stevenson: The accident rates for the A1 trunk road between Dunbar (A1087 Junction) and the border with England are:

  (a) 13.7 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres for all dual and single carriageway sections.

  (b) 10.6 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres for dual carriageway sections.

  (c) 15.1 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres for single carriageway sections.

  The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published previously or elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between the two dates, e.g. due to late returns, corrections to earlier returns or changes to traffic volume data.

Roads

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to dualling the single carriageway sections of the A1 trunk road between Dunbar and the border with England.

Stewart Stevenson: The needs of this transport corridor were considered as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) which recommended that our aim should be to optimise the operation of the route through active traffic management and targeted individual investments. This may include plans to ensure the road is safe and suitably maintained for the expected levels of traffic and may, for instance, include realigning sections of road, individual junction improvements and creating additional overtaking opportunities where appropriate.

  Prior to the STPR we had delivered on our route strategy to provide a dual two lane "near motorway" standard of road between Edinburgh and Dunbar, and further south where traffic volumes are significantly lower, to create unambiguous guaranteed overtaking opportunities along the route. The completion of this major £120 million package of improvements has resulted in two-thirds of the A1 having been upgraded by the provision of dualling and climbing lanes. We have no current plans for dualling the A1 from Dunbar to the Border.

Roads

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the potential benefits are of dualling the single carriageway sections of the A1 trunk road between Dunbar and the border with England.

Stewart Stevenson: The corridor between Edinburgh and the Border currently enjoys relatively low traffic volumes and operates efficiently. Therefore there are few issues on this corridor and as such the potential benefits of dualling would be limited.

  The needs of this transport corridor were considered as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review which recommended that our aim should be to optimise the operation of the route through active traffic management and targeted individual investments. This includes plans to ensure the road is safe and suitably maintained for the expected levels of traffic and may, for instance, include realigning sections of road, individual junction improvements and creating additional overtaking opportunities where appropriate.

Roads

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether consistent standards are applied in specifying criteria under which gritting and procedures for gritting should take place across the range of organisations carrying out winter maintenance work on trunk and non-trunk roads.

Stewart Stevenson: The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 states that a roads authority shall take such steps as it considers reasonable to prevent snow and ice endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles over public roads.

  Each roads authority is responsible for identifying its own level of winter service and these vary between authorities. Most roads authorities publish winter maintenance plans which set out service levels. Transport Scotland, on behalf of Scottish ministers, is responsible for the winter service on trunk roads and motorways. The Operating Companies undertake the winter service according to procedures and specifications laid down in the trunk road maintenance term contracts and detailed in their winter service plans. This is monitored by the independent Performance Audit Group.

Roads

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16656 by Stewart Stevenson on 27 October 2008, whether further engineering works are planned to improve the safety of the A77 in south Ayrshire.

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans for engineering works on the A77 south of Ayr.

Stewart Stevenson: Yes, the following engineering schemes are within the current Transport Scotland programme:

  

 Ardwell to Slockenray
 Overtaking opportunity (WS2+1) 


 Drummuckloch to Innermessan
 Overtaking opportunity (WS2+1)


 Parkend to Bennane
 Overtaking opportunity (WS2+1)


 Burnside Improvements
 Carriageway re-alignment


 Symington and Bogend Toll
 Central Reservation Gaps and Grade Separation



  The recently published Strategic Transport Projects Review recognised the importance of A77 and has recommended upgrading the A77 from single to dual carriageway around Ayr, grade separation of key junctions and enhancements south of Ayr.

Transport Scotland

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19169 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 January 2009, what elements are included in Transport Scotland’s budget for communications.

Stewart Stevenson: The communications budget of £115,000 for 2007-08 covered the preparation and publishing of a range of corporate documents and publicity material, the distribution of press releases, and running the Transport Scotland website.

Transport Scotland

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S3W-19163 and S3W-19170 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 January 2009 and given that Transport Scotland has 291 employees and this figure does not include consultants, for what reasons it considers it impossible to separate out the cost of consultancy work.

Stewart Stevenson: The suppliers who provide consultancy advice to Transport Scotland are often responsible for wider service provision as part of an overall package. This could include engineering and support services. For this reason it is not always possible to separate out the cost of the consultancy element.